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a façade inscribed with the
word “Yugoslavia”, reminding
us of what was for Slovenian
philosopher Mladen Dolar the
paradigm of the unconscious of
modern Europe.
The flags transpose their
folds and colours on the cement
surface, until they become emp-
tied of meaning and turn into
an artistic painting.
Modelled with a view to
the “Yugoslavia” inscription,
with the same font and with
clear symbolism, the white in-
terior walls will be printed with
white three-dimensional letters
showing the names and years
of duration of the selected ten
countries that no longer exist.
- We live in an era of con-
trolled chaos – says Grubanov.
- There exist and will continue
to exist isolated areas of safety,
where barriers are raised and
borders defined, and where the
rest of the “uncivilized” world,
where several thousands of lives
are sacrificed on a daily basis,
means nothing to the “civi-
lized”. In short, Francisco Goya
and his “Las Pinturas Negras”
series of paintings.
- Francisco Goya did his Las
Pinturas Negras works on the
cement surface of the walls of
his home as a series where, in a
disturbing way, he relayed his
life and artistic experience, and
his resignation to social injus-
tice – notes Grubanov, highlight-
ing the Spanish painter as his
model. – The floor composition
“United Dead Nations” is also
created using Goya’s technique
on cement surfaces and carries
the generational resignation of
contemporary social flows and
movements through which the
course of recent history unfolds.
My picture sets the scene of one
event, such as a palimpsest pre-
serving all the material remains
and fine traces passing through
material history in order to is-
sue a warning and suggest the
possibility of repeating ill-fated
circumstances.
My installation, however,
is not pessimistic. It opens up
possibilities to interpret histori-
cal events and places the focus
on each individual visitor as an
integral part of the work, giv-
ing them the power to move or
stamp on the material on the
floor and thereby demonstrate
their own sovereign right to
become a signifier, and not
only signified. The monumen-
tal dimensions of the painted
floor installation move beyond
the scope of static observation
of pictures and issue a call to
action, becoming a stage on
which the actors are all those
who find themselves there, who
participate in the composition
and exchange experiences with
this work of art.
IVAN GRUBANOV
Ivan Grubanov je rođen 1976. godine u Beogradu. Posle diplomira-
nja na Slikarskom odseku beogradskog Fakulteta likovnih umetnosti
poslediplomske studije završio je na Rijksakademie van beeldende
kunsten u Amsterdamu, a zatim se usavršavao na studijskim borav-
cima u Londonu, Madridu i Braunšvajgu. Izlagao je širom sveta na
20 samostalnih, preko 100 grupnih i petnaestak bijenalnih izložbi.
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IVAN GRUBANOV
Ivan Grubanov was born in Belgrade in 1976 and after graduating
from the Painting Department of the Belgrade Faculty of Fine Arts he
carried out his post-graduate studies at the Dutch royal academy of
visual arts, Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, in Amsterdam. He
then went on to perfect his skills with residence studies in London,
Madrid and Braunschweig. He has exhibited worldwide with 20 solo
exhibitions, over 100 group shows and 15 biennial exhibitions.
Podna kompozicija
„Ujedinjene mrtve nacije“ –
poprište jednog događaja
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The floor composition
“United Dead Nations”–
scene of an event
